Cyclone Fengal: Irked by ‘poor’ relief, people throw dirt on TN Minister Ponmudy in Villupuram

Tamil Nadu Forest Minister K. Ponmudy had to face public ire as a few protesters staging a road blockade in Villupuram district over poor relief measures for Cyclone Fengal threw mud at the minister and other authorities when he came to pacify them.

Heavy rainfall wreaked havoc in Villupuram district after Cyclone Fengal made a landfall near Chennai-Karaikkal coasts on Saturday night. Several villages got inundated in the heavy rain. Though dwellers were shifted to relief camps in many areas, they lost their valuables in the heavy flooding.

Villagers of several affected areas conducted road roko and got into heated arguments with authorities and Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam legislators over poor relief measures on Tuesday. Residents of Iruvelpattu and Arasur villages, who were affected by the flooding staged a road roko on Villupuram-Trichy highway demanding relief. Though authorities tried to pacify them, the villagers did not budge.

Later, Forest Minister K. Ponmudy went to meet the protesters along with the authorities. While the minister was hearing public grievances, unidentified persons threw dirt over the minister and other authorities accompanying him, officials said. Reportedly, the villagers were angered that none of the officials came down to meet them and address relief measures during the past two days.

Sources in the know of the developments told The New Indian Express that the BJP cadre who were present at the spot triggered the incident. The minister left soon after the incident.

Meanwhile, BJP State President K. Annamalai lashed out at the DMK government for poor relief measures. In a post on X, Annamalai tweeted, “The CM and the Deputy Chief Minister were busy taking photos in the streets of Chennai while the city received very little rain and did not bother to keep track of the happenings beyond Chennai. Today, the public's frustration reached a boiling point as a Corrupt DMK Minister, Thiru Ponmudi, visited a flood-affected area and was met with a barrage of mud. This is a gentle reminder for DMK about what is on the offing.”